"I THINK Lady Shouda would scold us big time if she finds out we're already heading out without her permission," sabi ni Takeru habang tumatakbo sila ni Daryll patungo sa abandonadong building kung saan alam nilang naroon si Seiichi at ilan pang miyembro ng Dark Rose.
Daryll abruptly stopped running and faced Takeru who also stopped as soon as he did. "I don't think we have to worry about that. Nakita na tayo ni Lady Mari. At hindi na nakakapagtaka na malaman niya ang plano natin. We can't simply rely on the clan leaders, especially now that we know about Seiichi's past with regards to the deaths of his parents and his grandfather's sudden disappearance even before the attack at the mansion."
Well, Takeru knew that his mentor had a point on that. Bahala nang magalit ang mga clan leaders sa kanila. Ang mahalaga sa mga sandaling iyon ay mailigtas nila si Seiichi. Hindi pa niya gustong multuhin ni Hitoshi kapag hindi niya nagawa nang maayos iyon.
'Lame joke, Takeru Uehara.' Aminado naman siya roon. But he had to do something so that he wouldn't end up crazy. Marami pa siyang kailangang gawin at wala pa sa plano niya ang mabaliw pagkatapos ng lahat.
The two of them continued running until they finally reached their destination. But what surprised them was the fact that it was completely barren. The only structure visible in the area was an old building which appeared to have lost its purpose and trashed by Mother Nature's wrath over the years.
Nahuli na ba sila ng dating?
"Get ready," bilin ni Daryll kay Takeru at pareho nilang inilabas ang mga baril nila. Cautiously, they entered the area without fully alerting any possible people of their presence.
Ilang minuto rin ang lumipas bago nila nasuyod nang husto ang unang palapag at lalo nilang ipinagtaka ang kawalan ng anumang presensiya roon.
"Do you think they moved him somewhere?" hindi maiwasang itanong ni Takeru.
"Knowing Oceanus, I don't think so. At isa pa, sigurado si Amiko sa sapantaha niya sa lugar na 'to. Hindi pa natin nasusuyod ang buong lugar. Kaya hindi pa tapos ang trabaho natin dito."
Iyon lang at ipinagpatuloy na ni Daryll ang pagsisiyasat sa lugar. Pabuntong-hiningang sumunod na lang si Takeru habang inihahanda ang sarili sa posibleng pag-atake ng kung sino mang ugok ang naroon sa lugar.
But soon after, both of them froze at the sound that they simultaneously heard.
"Did you hear that?"
"Blades clashing... A sword fight?" Pero imposible naman yata iyon--or at least iyon ang nasa isip ni Takeru bago muling marinig ang tunog na iyon.
And this time, they were sure. Somebody was having a sword fight with somebody.
Sa pagsenyas ni Daryll, sinundan ni Takeru ang pinagmulan ng narinig na tunog. With their guns raised, they swiftly proceeded to the area where the sound was getting loud enough for them to confirm that an ongoing sword fight was happening. Hindi nagtagal ay narating na rin nila ang bahaging sa tingin nila ay pinagmulan niyon.
Pero sa pagdating nila roon, pagtataka at sorpresa ang bumakas sa mga mukha nila nang tumambad sa kanilang dalawa ang isang eksenang hindi nila inaasahang makita.
"What in the world...?"
Paano ba naman kasi sila hindi magre-react nang ganoon? Eh ang tumambad lang naman sa kanila ay isang labanang hindi talaga nila inakalang makikita nila sa tanang buhay nila.
Oceanus on a sword fight with Seiichi? And to be honest, masasabi nilang dalawa na tila hindi rin inaasahan ng Dark Rose member na iyon ang kakayahan ni Seiichi sa paggamit ng espada. Every strike was something they could feel had an intent to take advantage over the other.
In other words, one of the fighters should die.
Pero wala roon ang atensyon ni Takeru. Nakatuon ang mga mata niya sa espadang gamit ni Seiichi. Without a doubt, he could feel the rage emitting from the young man as he continued to strike his sword toward Oceanus. Ano nga kaya ang nangyari at ganoon ang galit na nararamdaman niya mula rito?
'I know I've seen that sword before…' Hindi nagbibiro si Takeru nang isipin niya iyon. Minsan na talaga niyang nakita ang espadang iyon, partikular na ang simbolong naroon.
It didn't take Takeru a minute to realize the answer to that. "The Full Moon Sword..." Kung tama ang pagkakaalala niya, minsan nang binanggit sa kanya iyon ni Hitoshi nang tanungin siya nito kung alam daw ba niya ang mga espadang pinapangalagaan ng Shinomiya clan prince.
Hitoshi once gave him a list of the swords' names in his possession. One of them was the Full Moon Sword. Pero paanong napunta kay Seiichi ang espadang iyon? First was the Iris Sword and now the Full Moon Sword?
Ang pagtumba ni Seiichi ang pumutol sa pag-iisip ni Takeru at naging alerto siya nang makita niyang papasugod dito si Oceanus na tila sinasamantala ang tangkang pagbangon ni Seiichi.
A gunshot coming from Takeru's side alerted him and made him realize that it was Daryll who made that shot. He saw Oceanus clutching his bleeding right arm--the one holding the sword. Hindi na siya nag-alinlangan pa at agad na sinugod si Oceanus bago pa man ito makagawa ng panibagong hakbang para saktan si Seiichi. He brought out his gun and aimed at the enemy.
But before Takeru could even make a shot, Oceanus hurriedly escaped. Napabuntong-hininga na lang siya nang makita iyon. Though he knew Oceanus was a tough opponent to deal with, he was pissed at the fact that the man really knew how to avoid them--especially those belonging to the Miyuzaki clan.
"I really want to pound him to bits," Takeru said while gritting his teeth.
Napalingon si Takeru nang makarinig siya ng bakal (or something close to that) na tila nabitiwan. He saw Seiichi standing there despite his obvious weak and tired state. "Are you alright?"
Tumango naman si Seiichi.
Soon after, however, Takeru and Daryll were surprised when they saw the young man collapsed to the ground.
"Hey!"
xxxxxx
"ANO'NG nangyari?" Iyon ang agad na salubong ni Shingo kina Daryll at Takeru na kalong ang sugatan at walang malay na si Seiichi. Hindi na sila nagtawag pa ng ambulansiya dahil alam nilang kailangan na ni Seiichi ng agarang atensyon lalo pa't mukhang matindi at malalim din ang mga sugat na tinamo nito mula kay Oceanus.
"Saka na kami magpapaliwanag, Doc. Take care of the boy first," ani Daryll na sinang-ayunan naman ni Shingo.
Ilang sandali pa ay agad nang ipinasok sa emergency roon si Seiichi para matingnan ang sitwasyon nito. Sina Daryll at Takeru naman ay nanatili sa labas ng silid.
Pero hindi maikakaila ni Takeru ang pag-aalala niya para sa binatang iniligtas nila. Hanggang sa mga sandaling iyon ay hindi pa rin siya makapaniwala na nakayang harapin ni Seiichi ang tulad ni Oceanus sa isang delikadong sword fight. Marami pa nga ba talaga siyang hindi nalalaman sa taong iyon?
"You should've at least told me about your rescue plans for that boy."
Napalingon silang dalawa sa pinagmulan ng tinig at nakita nila si Shiro na papalapit sa kinatatayuan nila.
"What are you doing here?" tanong ni Takeru.
"Checking out on his condition again. Kailangan kong bantayan at alamin ang progress ng paggaling niya." Bakas sa mga mata ni Shiro ang hirap na alam nilang mahigit dalawang taon na nitong pinagdaraanan dahil sa kondisyon ng taong tinutukoy nito.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like this in front of you guys. Anyway, back to the issue. How's Seiichi when you found him?"
Hindi na inilihim ni Daryll ang mga pangyayari rito kahit pa sa totoo lang ay gustong pigilan iyon ni Takeru for some reasons. Inasahan na nila ang pagdaan ng gulat sa mukha ni Shiro matapos isalaysay rito ang lahat.
"Paano nangyaring napunta sa kanila ang Full Moon Sword?"
Nagkatinginan sina Daryll at Takeru sa tinuran ni Shiro.
"You know what kind of sword was that?" hindi na napigilang usisa ni Takeru.
Tumango si Shiro. "It's one of the eight treasures of the Yasunaga clan belonging to the main branch."
"Eight treasures? Ibig sabihin, each of the treasures were just like that Eight Celestial Points? Since dalawa na sa Celestial Points ang pinasabog ng Dark Rose, does that mean nasa kanila pa ang pangalawa sa mga treasure na iyon?"
"No. Ryuuji and Kana were able to retrieve the one at the Shiasena Temple," imporma ni Shiro bilang tugon sa tanong ni Daryll.
"Shiasena Temple?"
"Iyon ang pangalan ng natatanging templo sa Kusanagi Shrine na ipinatayo sa Shiasena. Of course, that place was revealed to be one of the Eight Celestial Points of the Yasunaga clan, as well."
Napailing si Daryll. "Ilang araw ko nang naririnig 'yang Yasunaga clan na 'yan. Sino ba talaga sila? How come you guys knew about it except us who belong to the Miyuzaki clan?"
Ilang sandali ring natahimik si Shiro. Takeru could see the hesitation in his movements. Sa puntong iyon, tila nagawa niyang intindihin ang dahilan kung bakit ganoon ang kilos nito. "Are they the clan whose history is considered taboo for other people to learn about?"
Tiningnan ni Shiro si Takeru nang ilang sandali at tumango. "At this point, I'm not allowed to say anything about them unless Lady Mari gives me permission to do so."
"Lady Mari? Hindi ang prinsesa ang magbibigay ng permiso sa 'yo?"
"The princess barely remembers anything about it. Just like what happened to Yasha Wilford, there were parts of the princess' memories--particularly those with regards to her knowledge about the forbidden history--which were blocked from her mind. Lord Hitoshi's death did that to her," paliwanag ni Shiro. "But if you want to learn more about them, it's for the best if we continue our investigation. Sa ngayon, iyon na lang ang tanging paraan.
Nabaling ang atensyon ni Daryll kay Takeru na nanatiling tahimik pa rin. "Gusto mong sumama?"
Umiling si Takeru. "I think I'd rather guard that boy for now. He better get through this because I'd definitely scour the ends of hell just to tell him not to die and make the princess cry."
Hindi na napigilan ni Daryll ang matawa. Si Shiro naman ay napangiti habang umiiling.
"I never thought you had that kind of sense of humor left in you, Takeru. But, alright. I'll let you guard him. Mabuti na rin talagang may magbantay sa kanya." Matapos niyon ay umalis na sina Daryll at Shiro.
Isang malalim na buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan ni Takeru bago ibinaling ang tingin sa pinto ng emergency room. Inside that room, he knew, lies the source of the princess' happiness. Ilang taon na rin ang nakakalipas subalit sariwa pa rin sa kanyang isipan ang realisasyong iyon na napansin nila ni Hitoshi habang magkasama sina Seiichi at Kourin sa dating Shinomiya mansion. Kaya naman hindi niya hahayaan ang Kamatayan na tangayin ito.
"Don't you dare die on us, Seiichi Yasuhara. Your mission is not yet over." Hindi alam ni Takeru kung bakit iyon ang naisatinig niya. Pero may ideya na siya na malaki ang magiging partisipasyon nito sa panghahanap nila sa Dark Rose.
And though Takeru considered it absurd, perhaps Seiichi might even be holding the key for them to win the battle.
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